Lars Von Trier Denies Björk's Harassment Allegations

Yesterday (October 15), Björk became the latest figure in popular culture to share a story of her own experiences with harassment and abuse, claiming that a Danish film director had "enabled" and "encouraged" harassment while on set. Many believed the figure in question to be Lars Von Trier, who directed Björk in 2000's Dancer in the Dark, though he now says that wasn't the case.

As The Hollywood Reporternotes, Von Trier denied the allegations in a Danish newspaper, though declined to give an official statement. He reportedly told the paper that Björk's performance in Dancer in the Dark was "one of the greatest performances in my movies."

Though she never named Von Trier, Björk wrote about how harassment on set was "the norm and set in stone with the director and a staff of dozens who enabled it and encouraged it."

"I became aware of that it is a universal thing that a director can touch and harass his actresses at will and the institution of film allows it," she wrote. "When I turned the director down repeatedly he sulked and punished me and created for his team an impressive net of illusion where i was framed as the difficult one."

Dancer in the Dark producer and Von Trier collaborator Peter Aalbaek Jensen was surprised by the accusations, telling the Jylannds Posten, "As far as I remember, we were victims. That woman was stronger than both Lars von Trier and me and our company together."

The Hollywood Reporter notes that actresses including Nicole Kidman and Charlotte Gainsbourg have rejected claims about Von Trier's allegedly abusive conduct. Björk is set to deliver her new album Utopianext month.